Antiskid attachment for automobiles



1N VEN TOR, E H-Han/g April 22 19.24.

s E L I B O M m n 2 R. EO. N B' .A H w m Hw A d EN A F I K S I T N A Fatenterl 2Z5,

stares EDWIN E. HANEY, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFCRNIA.

ANTISKID ATTACHMENT FOE AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed October 26, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDWIN H. HANEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Antiskid Attacln..-ents for Automobiles; and I do declare the followin to'be a full, clear, and exact description or the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to-the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for preventing automobiles from skidding on wet and slippery pavements, the frequency of which occurrences, and their oftiines disastrous results, are matters of common knowledge.

Application of the brakes to the wheels is useless under such conditions, and while tire chains prevent skidding to some extent, they are only put on after or during an actual storm, whereas watering-cart operating on a bright sunny day, will put a pave ment into as dangerous a condition as when it is raining, and catches the car drivers unprepared.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a permanently attached device,

which may be instantly set in action by the driver at any time, and which will then positively check side skidding of the car.

i have also provided means for readily raising the anti-skid members into inoperative position after they have functioned, without the necessity of the driver leaving his seat.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes which it is designed.

These objects ll accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side outline of an automobile showing my improved device mounted thereon and in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end View of one of the anti skid members mounted adjacent a front wheel.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detached view of Elli tea

Serial No. 510,e70.

the releasing and raising means for the anti-skid members.

Fig. 4 is a detached top plan view of the cable drum and winding mechanism.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the side frames of a car, on both of which and at both ends a certain distance forward of the Wheel axles 2 brackets 3 are clamped in any suitable manner, these brackets forming pivotal bearingsfor arms 4:, on the lower ends of which are pivoted discs or rollers 5, the peripheraledges of which are fairly sharp, as shown in Fig. 2, these rollers being made of a tough grade of metal and somewhat heavy and extending in planes parallel to the wheels of the car.

The vertical distance from the pivotal connection of the arms with the brackets to the outer edge of the roller is greater than the distance from the bracket to the ground, so that when the arm has assumed that position the roller has cut into and sunk some distance into the pavement.

The arm is prevented from moving further back than such vertical position by means of lugs 6 formed on the brackets and projecting down therefrom to form stops against which the arms abut.

The arms and rollers are together heavy enough to drop from a raised position to the ground of their own weight and with considerable force, and to enable the same to be then raised out of the waywhile allowing them to be instantly released to drop when needed, I provide the following mechanism J ournaled on the frames 1 and extending trans -iersely thereof in a convenient location with respect to the drivers compartment of the car is a shaft 7, adjacent each end of which is a pair of drums 8 fixed to and passing about which are cables 9 leading over pulleys or sheaves 10 on the frame to the respective arms 4 on that side.

Fixed on the shaft 7 intermediate the drum is a ratchet wheel 11, preferably concealed within a housing 12 fixed on the floor of the car.

Turnably mounted on the shaft 7 adjacent the ratchet wheel 11 is a lever 18 provided witha hand controlled pawl 14 normally engaging the ratchet wheel.

The lever passes through an arcuate slot outsmoving the lever, when the shaft and drums will be free to rotate, and the weight of the disc members will automatically and instantly cause the same to be lowered. To raise the discs, thel'ever is reciprocated back and forth, the pawl 14 being permitted to engage the teeth to force the ratchet wheel and shaft around.

Toprevent return rotation of the shaft when the latter is returned after the end of astroke, I provide an additional pawl mem ber 16 mounted in the casing and normally spring-pressed out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, but adapted to be pressed into engagement therewith during the winding-up operation by the foot of the driver.

When the'discs are dropped, they will tend of their own weight to sink into the pavement, this tendency being aided by the fact that thecar will tend to be raised as the discs catch hold, throwing the entire weight of the car onto the arms and discs, forcing the latter deeper into the pavement, and thus positively checking any skidding of the car. When the progress of the latter is halted, it will be necessary to back up somewhat before the discs can be raised, as otherwise too great a strain would be placed on the raising mechanism.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that l. have produced such a device as substantially fulfi'lls'the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detailthe present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An anti-skid device for automobiles comprising brackets mounted on and de- .endin from the frames of the car arms pivoted on the brackets and extending forwardly thereof, non-skid members on the lower ends of the arms, means releasable at will for holding the arms and members normally clear of the ground, the arms being adapted to drop of their own weight, and stops on the brackets engaging the arms and preventing further downward movement thereof after they have dropped to lie at a predetermined angle relative to the ground.

2. An anti-skid device for automobiles comprising brackets mounted on and depending from the frames of the our, arms pivoted on the brackets and extending forwardly thereof, non-skid discs on the lower ends of the arms, means releasable at will for holding the arms and discs normally clear of the ground, the-arms being adapted to drop of their own weight, and stops on the brackets engaging the arms and stopping downward movement of the arms about their pivots before the axes of the discs are in vertical ali'nement with the arm-pivots.

3. An anti-skid device for automobiles comprising brackets mounted on and depending from the frames of the car, arms pivoted on the brackets and free turn on their pivots of their own weight, non-skid members on the lower ends of the arms, a shaft mounted transversely on the vehicle, means actuable at will for rotating said shaft but normally preventing such rotation, drums on the shaft, and cables wound on the drums and extending to the arms below and ahead of the pivots thereof.

4r. An anti-skid device for automobiles comprising brackets mounted on and depending from the frames of the car, arms pivoted on the brackets and free turn on their pivots of their own weight, non-skid members on the lower ends of the arms, releasable means actuated in common for normally holding the armsclear of the ground, and means whereby when released said arms are free to drop independent of each other, and to varying extents.

5. An anti-skid device for automobiles comprising brackets mounted on and depending from the frames of the car, arms pivoted 011 the brackets and free turn on their pivots of their own weight, non-skid members on the lower ends of the arms and flexible members connected to the arms below and ahead of the pivots thereof and normally holding the arms clear of the ground but releasable at will.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWIN H. HANEY. 

